Alcohol and Drug Treatment

Alcohol drug treatment describes the rehabilitation process for both drug addiction and alcohol abuse. In today’s medical world, both alcoholism and drug addiction are considered brain disorders.  People with both alcoholism and drug addiction seem to need a longer, more intense initial rehabilitation. A person with both alcoholism and drug addiction is often referred to as being "dually-addicted".  Some terminology in this industry can be confusing. For example, dually-addicted should not be confused with the term dual diagnosis, which up until recently, meant someone who had a drug or alcohol problem and a mental health diagnosis, such as depression.

Treatment for Alcohol and Drug Abuse

It is important to properly evaluate, assess and diagnosis any person with both alcohol and drug abuse. Everyone who abuses alcohol or drugs is performing self medication of some personal and psychological issues.  Alcohol and drug abuse are actually symptoms of their inability to successfully navigate their day to day challenges and duties, without using alcohol and drugs. Proper assessment is very important to treating the dually addicted person. All persons who abuse drugs or alcohol are self medicating their personal disorders and psychosis. Without the proper diagnosis of all their psychological issues, their chances of receiving the best treatment are significantly reduced.

Alcohol and Drug Detoxification Process

The first, medical issue to rehab for a dually-addicted person is detox. Alcohol always requires detoxification. However, some drugs require detox while others do not. Therefore, the detox protocol must be closely scrutinized and administered to insure both elements are medically addressed properly and simultaneously. Dually addicted patients are more likely to drop out of treatment and have poorer results than patients who abuse only one substance. However, since most studies on treating drug and alcohol abuse have examined these disorders separately, drug and alcohol treatment counselors now have little science-based information on which to base their treatment of these patients.

Integrated Treatment Model for Alcohol and Drug Abuse

A well coordinated and integrated treatment plan is essential for someone who is alcoholic and an addict. It should effectively address the needs of the overwhelming number of Americans who abuse both alcohol and illicit drugs. Identifying how someone relates to people places and things is one key to making progress in therapy. Most alcoholics and addicts tend to be self absorbed and like to be alone. Many drink and use by themselves, although this may not be the case. Some of their tendency to be reclusive stems from a lack of self esteem and a distorted self image.

Alcohol and Drug Treatment

Improving the perception to their actual physical body needs to be addressed in treatment. Exercise, for example, should always be a part of treatment.  Recently, Eastern disciplines, such as yoga and tai chi are excellent ways to improve in this area. The treatment and rehabilitation process is similar for people suffering from both alcoholism and drug addiction. People who suffer from both diseases are treated with the same modalities as someone with one or the other malady. The differences between rehab and treatment for someone with both alcoholism and drug addiction would primarily be making the dually addicted person acutely aware they have both concerns and address both forms of the disease concurrently and accordingly.

Statistics for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment

More than 2.4 million of the 5.6 million people who abused illicit drugs in 2001 also abused alcohol, according to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. In fact, the more heavily someone abused alcohol, the more likely he or she was to use illicit drugs, the survey found. In 2001, nearly two of every three American teenagers, ages 12 to 17, who engaged in frequent drinking binges also abused drugs. In comparison, only 1 in 20 young people who didn't drink at all used drugs.

alcohol and drug treatment